I have read Locke's 'Essay'---longest essay I ever read. Tedious, but there were nuggets---if only I could remember them. I expect that Locke was swayed by the beginnings of what I will call social enlightenment. He may have been an early progenitor of change, in its more modern sense. But he was still mired in particular biases and did not dare push too far beyond status quo of his time. A philosophical diplomat---if you will. And if you won't, so be that. So, I'm a heretic. Always have been---works for me.

Dear Mr. Locke and Locke alikes,
Can people be governed and free?
Democracy?
=
MJA

To MJA: see: Henry David Thoreau. Government works best when one is alone in the woods. Unknown. Undetected. Self-sufficient. Invisible. Few of us live that way now---nor would we know how to do so. Go ahead, if you want.

Regarding the phone call from the neighbor of someone who was upside down on his mortgage and did a "short sale." Her moral dilemma will be solved with the knowledge that a short sale is NOT just walking away from a mortgage. You have to negotiate with your bank to allow you to sell the house to another party and give all the proceeds to the bank. The bank has to agree to it, so you're not sticking them with anything they don't know about. If you allow the bank to foreclose there are still lots of fees, arrearages, and other expenses the bank can charge to you, so in some cases a short sale is a better option.

My Essay is indeed long, and for some, I am sure tedious. I did admit to failing to remove some of the repetitions. Still, the point of the work is what I was alluding to in my comment on the tea party -- namely one has to acquire the discipline of proper inquiry and the good judgment that goes along with it before one can govern either oneself or others. As for nuggets, one of my favorites is: Familiarity takes off our wonder but cure not our ignorance.

Written in the spirit of a kindred spirit, Mr. Locke. My heart is warmed with the knowledge of your resurection. I had not heard the nugget concerning familiarity, but it seems both lucid and enigmatic-a paradox I would not have imagined, had I not read it for myself. Or perhaps I am simply misinterpreting the meaning. Allow me to attempt a paraphrase: Experience enriches our consciousness but does little for a lack of innate intellect. Does that about capture it? If not, I'LL plead ignorance. Language IS messy and inadequate at the best of times! Again, welcome back to the world of the living. Thank God for the Lazarus Effect (or was that Frank Herbert---I get confused easily.)